The Latecomer is a fictional family saga that follows the Oppenheimer parents and siblings from the 1970’s until 2017.
When Salo was a college student at Cornell in the 1970’s he would survive a horrific car accident that would haunt him for the rest of his life and have a dire effect on his marriage and future children. He would father (thanks to IVF) a set of triplets that are so completely disconnected from their parents and each other that they will flee from New York City to college and only speak to each other if they have to. Eventually family secrets will catch up to everyone and it will be up Phoebe (the last embryo born seventeen years after the triplets) to bring her fractured family back together.
This was another stunning novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. She manages to touch on issues around unresolved trauma, liberal education, art, infidelity, race and religion with humor and intelligence. There are a lot of thought provoking issues that are brought up but not in a preachy or boring way. The dialogue is very witty and I avoided my usual habit of rushing through so I could savor every word. She is able to bring humanity and relatability to all of the characters but still make them jump off the page. I had a soft spot for Phoebe, born much later than her siblings (I was also the “Latecomer” in my own family) and how she uses her big heart and resourcefulness to reach out to all of the Oppenheimers.
I highly recommend The Latecomer to readers that enjoy entertaining family sagas that explore current issues.
Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Salo was a college student at Cornell in the 1970’s he would survive a horrific car accident that would haunt him for the rest of his life and have a dire effect on his marriage and future children. He would father (thanks to IVF) a set of triplets that are so completely disconnected from their parents and each other that they will flee from New York City to college and only speak to each other if they have to. Eventually family secrets will catch up to everyone and it will be up Phoebe (the last embryo born seventeen years after the triplets) to bring her fractured family back together.
This was another stunning novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. She manages to touch on issues around unresolved trauma, liberal education, art, infidelity, race and religion with humor and intelligence. There are a lot of thought provoking issues that are brought up but not in a preachy or boring way. The dialogue is very witty and I avoided my usual habit of rushing through so I could savor every word. She is able to bring humanity and relatability to all of the characters but still make them jump off the page. I had a soft spot for Phoebe, born much later than her siblings (I was also the “Latecomer” in my own family) and how she uses her big heart and resourcefulness to reach out to all of the Oppenheimers.
I highly recommend The Latecomer to readers that enjoy entertaining family sagas that explore current issues.
Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️